


I Think I Failed

by LilianaSnow



Series: Pen [2]
Category: X-Men (Movieverse)
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Accidental Relationship, Age Difference, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Charles Can Still Walk, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Angst with a Happy Ending, Cute, Depression, Falling In Love, Fear, Fights, Gang Rape, Gen, Hiding Medical Issues, Hurt, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Kindness, Kissing, Long, M/M, Minor Character Death, Miscarriage, Mpreg, Multiple Pairings, Nervousness, Podfic Welcome, Rape Recovery, Recovery, Scars, Secret Relationship, Secrets, Stuttering
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-08
Updated: 2018-12-08
Packaged: 2019-08-25 18:41:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,225
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16666156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LilianaSnow/pseuds/LilianaSnow
Summary: See notes.





	I Think I Failed

**Author's Note:**

> Peter is suffering.
> 
> Charles, Erik, and Hank want to help.
> 
> You're welcome, Honey Badger.
> 
> Also, Charles can still walk, Erik knows Peter's his son, and Charles is Peter's mother but Peter doesn't know that. This'll be important if I decide to make another part.

Peter hiccuped slightly, being forced to the floor. This wasn't the first time.

"Luke, please," he begged, looking up at his lover. "I'll do anything..."

"Baby, it's okay. You've gotta get over it sometime. And I'm your fiance, I'm entitled to this."

"No... Please-"

Luke slapped his ass, then shoved his face into the floor. Luke was a mutant with the ability to mimic the mutations of people present, but he hadn't told Peter. It led to Peter having thought at first he was too lovestruck to run around him. Now he thought it was fear slowing him down.

Peter was pulled out of his mind when Luke shoved himself roughly inside of him. He whimpered in the half-second before Luke started taking full advantage of his mutation.

He fucked him at literally 75 miles per hour for about half an hour, during which Peter begged and sobbed for Luke to release him. Luke didn't listen, of course, and then he left Peter laying in a puddle of blood and cum and who knows what else.

Peter lay there crying until he felt his body screaming for food, and he limped down the stairs to find something. Luke had left the house, which meant that after he ate he would be able to go to school. He winced thinking about it, but he did go. He came in late, wearing the most comfortable pants he had, and put his hoodie up.

He avoided Charles, but he seemed to be inching along all day. Far different from the way he'd been before. People tried to talk to him. He shrugged them off.

It's not that he was scared of what Luke would do to him. It's that he was scared of what Charles would say if he knew. It's that he didn't want his friends to make him break up with Luke, because he loved Luke. Really.

Luke was always there for him when he got hurt. Luke had taken him out to eat and vent and hadn't expressed displeasure with paying even though Peter ate like a pig. Luke was his everything.

He saw the time and left early, getting to the house Luke had bought him and eating quickly as possible before Luke got home. He cleaned the house and sat waiting n the living room like he'd been instructed to do many times- but not if people that weren't Luke were there.

Peter was a teenager and a mutant. If they saw him in Luke's house- a respectable nonmutant man in his late twenties- they would ask questions and investigate. They'd be outed and Peter didn't want that.

Peter sat and waited as Luke came in with a bunch of people. Some were mutants- some were not. All of them looked terrifying to Peter.

"Luke? Who- who are they?"

"They're the people who will give you a reward for being a good boy and cleaning up," Luke told him, pushing him to his knees.

"Papillon, please, don't," he begged, shuddering under Luke's grip in his hair. "I don't... I don't want-"

"Baby, it's okay. It'll be good for you," he told him. "Don't you trust me?"

And Peter did. He did trust Luke, he always had. Always would. So he let Luke direct them, tried to stifle his sobs when they used him. They left him bruised and bleeding there, and Luke left again.

In the morning, because they were worried, Scott convinced Charles to take him to the address Peter had told him to go to if they ever needed him when he wasn't there. When Charles saw the silver-haired speedster, he felt enraged that someone had hurt Peter in a house deemed as 'safe.' He gently picked him up and covered him with a blanket.

When they got back to the store, he took him downstairs to Hank. He had no idea how he got there without crying at the way Peter had flinched away from him each time he tried to comfort him.

* * *

Hank finished stitching Peter up, cleaning the wounds and helping him redress. He gave him pain meds and let him sleep for a few nights. He made small talk until Peter was able to string together more than three words, seven syllables at a time. Then he asked him to tell him what had happened.

Peter had to stop every few minutes to cry, which made his hips and stitches ache. Through his tears, he told him everything.

"I- I met Luke at a party. He made a joke about how much I was... I was eating but I th- thought it was goodnatured. H-He and I got to talking and... And he liked the same music as me and he wanted to see a movie... And I went with him... He bought me the- the ticket and he bought all the snacks for me and he didn't say anything about it and I thought... I though he didn't care. He found out I was a mutant one day when I was running late and- and I ran in front of him and he didn't care and he said I didn't have to tell anyone... He- He... He bought a house for me, Professor. And I moved in..." He started sobbing harder and Hank gently rubbed his back, giving him a shoulder to cry on because he really needed it. Peter trembled and sobbed into his chest and rooted himself there for a solid six minutes, and when he finally was able to pull away Hank made him drink some water before continuing.

"He made me move in, and he started hurting me when I messed up. I ran into a wall, and he- and he beat me for it... He made it hard for me to run. When I came back here he made me promise not to tell anyone... He said he was helping me. He said he was teaching me... And when I fell down the stairs he... He...He r- ra..." He shook his head. "He-"

"You don't have to say that out loud if you can't, Peter," Hank told him softly, gently drying his tears. "Only tell me what you can."

Peter nodded shakily and asked for food, then burst into tears again, saying, "He made sure I a-ate... So I didn't get sick..."

Peter stayed there all night, telling Hank more about the times he messed up and the sick games Luke had played with him. 

He had to write out all the rapes and gang rapes when his voice failed him around 4:50 am.

* * *

Charles and Erik went out in search of Luke, armed with pictures and descriptions of the places he liked to go. They tracked him for a week before finding him. Charles tried to convince him peacefully to come with them.

"I'm a mutant, and so is Erik," Charles had told Luke. "We want to talk to you about someone we work with called-"

"I don't know who you're talking about," Luke snapped at him. "There's no reason for me to talk to you."

"Oh shut up," Erik told him, reaching out. "We need to talk to you about Peter Maximoff."

Luke retreated from them, snarling, but when Charles reached out to see whether he was fearful or angry, he felt an attack on his own mind. Luke was using Charles' own mutation against him, the defense that Luke had always used. He pushed chaos into Charles, filling him with darkness and clouds and every bad thing that Luke could think of.

Charles cried out in pain at the attack on his mind, backing up and clutching his head. Erik filled with a similar worry, and he felt both Luke and Charles become present in his mind. Luke was extending the bitterness from just him and Charles to Erik as well, pushing him back against the wall. Charles was trying to draw forth memories that would not go sour on Erik.

Erik realized that Luke was trying to make them insane, and Charles was trying to preserve Erik's sanity at least. Erik felt around the area they were in for the metal that could be spared, and he pulled it from the buildings and street signs. He formed them into chains and tried to wrap them around Luke, to restrain him and run to Charles' aide and ignore the throbbing in his head, but then he felt his grip on the chains waning.

Luke and Erik started a tug of war with the chains, each pushing them toward the other until Luke pushed an image of Charles laying on the floor, body mangled and blood trickling onto the white carpets. He showed Erik this scene, with Charles dead and his last words begging for Erik to stop, and Erik's control over the metal disappeared long enough for Luke to lash them into a room using the metal as hands, then took the metal with him until he was out of range and could no longer mimic them.

Luke fled, and Erik and Charles were trapped in a wooden room, with no escape, and Erik had to comfort Charles, who was sobbing from the pain in his head that he hadn't felt since he learned to control his powers, and even then it hadn't been this bad. It had never been angled specifically to cause pain before what Luke had just done.

"It's okay, Charles, I'm here. He's gone. He can't get you." Erik gently rubbed Charles' temples, trying to ease the tension or draw Charles out of it. He made a mental note to ask Hank if all of the traceable damage Peter described was actually done to him.

* * *

Erik, Charles, Peter, and Hank were all sitting in the middle of the yard at the school. All outdoor activities were suspended that day so they had some privacy.

"So he's a telepath too? And he can control metal?" Peter asked. "That makes no sense, he's never been a mutant... How could he have mastered that in the time I've been here?"

"Maybe he isn't," Hank offered. "There was also a lot of tearing in you, Peter, and scarring that's older than when multiple people got to you. It's like he was using the speed you run at."

"So he can use mutations against the mutants who have them?" Erik asked.

"Then how would he have used my telepathy on you?" Charles asked.

"He could just be a mimic. Use mutations he's experienced?" Hank suggested.

"Then how come he didn't use anything against us we didn't have? He didn't try to run, if he can use Peter's speed he would have ran."

"Or maybe only mutations of the people around him." Peter sounded sullen and pained, as well as unsure.

"That's worth a try," Charles said. "Send humans after him. They bring him in, then interrogate him and isolate him from mutants. If it fails we find a way to defeat him."

 Erik grumbled a little, but he nodded in agreement, looking at the silver-haired mutant in front of him. The younger was shaking and and looked like he was going to cry or be sick or both. Just as Erik thought it, Peter hunched over and started to retch. He started sobbing as he shook with the force of his heaves. Erik stepped away from him a little, but Hank and Charles tried to help him.

Peter flinched at the feeling of hands on his back, and he gripped his stomach tightly as the vomiting gave way to a dry heave. When he had nothing else to throw up, he forced himself to look up at them.

"Hurts... Everything hurts," he groaned, coughing.

Hank gently helped him up, letting him lean on him. "Come on, I'll take you to the lab, we'll get you patched up."

Charles followed them, noting how fragile and broken Peter looked as he clung to what little solace Hank could offer. Erik followed Charles, wondering if he was okay after their run in with the overpowering mutant. He hadn't spoken about what he'd seen, but he knew Charles had attempted to protect him. He wondered the cost and how well it had worked. How much Charles saw that Erik hadn't.

Down in Hank's lab, Peter was given some pain meds and some ginger ale to settle his stomach. The speedster also was injected with some nutrients so that he wouldn't starve while his body reset to binge again. He settled down to sleep, because he was exhausted, and Hank spoke to Charles.

"You haven't been the same since this Luke character got at you. What happened?"

Charles was hesitant, but he was coaxed out of it when Hank reminded him that knowing what horrors Luke would project on an uninvolved man would help them guess how dangerous he was, and how much he had done to shatter Peter.

"He sent me thoughts, first. Things that people like to say about mutants. And then he sent me still images of mutants, tearing each other apart or laying among the carnage. Then he showed me what appeared to be dreams or memories, of people boarding mutants inside of houses and setting them on fire." He shuddered and looked up at him. "He bled sounds in, screams I had heard and screams that I had not, and screams that will now haunt me forever. He sent pain, like hot coals or melted iron across my skin. The feeling of, I think, a whip. He pulled memories from me I hardly ever thought of, of things people thought of us before I could control my powers. He broke every bone in my body, shattered it, and sent a dark shadow over me. Then he showed me you, and Erik, and Peter, and all of the others, brought before him and tortured as if you were but playthings. Then he started to open it to Erik. I blacked out after that."

"You were crying. Something about the headache. As if you were being stepped on by elephants," Erik said quietly. "I know the kind of person he is. He wants power. He wants people to run and attempt to hide from him, like it's a game. To him it probably is."

Hank nodded slightly. He looked at Peter, who was in sorry state. Fevered dreams aside, he was paler than normal and he had trouble keeping food down. He refused testing, and Hank allowed it because he looked terrified they'd hurt him if he tried to draw blood. He also was exhausted and anxious, and he rarely spoke to anyone anymore. It worried them all.

* * *

It was almost a fruitless hunt. Luke was just another person that nobody knew. He was almost a ghost. Nobody could find him. It was like hunting the creatures hunting you.

None of the students were allowed to leave the school. It was just too dangerous. If Luke found them, and he found out their mutations, he could hurt them and the entire school. The students weren't even allowed outside the building. A few of them asked what was so dangerous that they couldn't even go outside to get some fresh air. Each time, Erik would tense and look at Charles, who would start breathing heavily and lift his hands to his head. On the rare occasion Peter was out and about, if someone asked about it he would panic and run as far from there as possible, and he'd keep running until he crashed into someone. Then he'd collapse and sob, with the only person able to console him being Hank. It only took a few days for them to ask the students not to ask.

Eventually, though, Luke was found. He was tracked by a large group of armed men, each one screened thoroughly to ensure that no hint of mutation was in their DNA before starting their week-long chase. When Luke tried to find a mutation to mimic, he was met with nothing. He surrendered to them and was taken in to custody.

He warned them that he'd only remain peaceful if he spoke to Peter for five minutes. Alone. Completely unsupervised.

* * *

"I'll do it," Peter said resolutely. He was curled up in a jacket about six sizes too large, and his voice was dark and thick with pain. "But only if he's restrained. So he can't move enough to hurt me. Make Erik make the cuffs or whatever. Don't let him hurt me."

* * *

Luke was laughing as Peter walked in, and Peter cringed in automatic response. Luke was in a concrete cell, with iron bars over the window in the door. He was also bound to the wall itself, with chains criss-crossed over him. Peter recognized the winding pattern of the chains, tightened and holding Luke so he couldn't move.

"Oh, Peter," Luke crooned at him. "You small thing, so insecure that I can't even touch you. I'm your fiance. Nobody will touch you now."

"Not anymore," Peter answered shakily. "Your goons are gone. Erik put my ring in your cuffs. You're nothing more than a ghost."

"Oh did he now!" Luke screeched. "That ring was not yours! It was mine! It was my ownership of you!"

"I... I'm not yours."

"Oh,  _chenille,_ you will always be mine. You always were. When you were on your knees in my room. When you were opened up for my friends. When you were stolen from my living room by that... Telepath. He cried, you know. Cried because he didn't get to you first."

"No! Charles wouldn't..." Peter's voice was weak. "He wouldn't think that about me..."

"Oh yes. Only person he likes more is your father, the skank. He wants you both to be his fancy ladies."

"No," Peter choked out, tears falling from his eyes. "He'd-"

"He would. He'd do worse."

Peter snapped, hitting the ground. Tears fell. "I-I'm sorry, Papillon," he sobbed. "Forgive me..."

 Luke laughed cruelly for long time, and Peter had to be carried out. He was sobbing and begging Luke for forgiveness. Peter was taken off the island by seven guards, and he was set in a boat with Charles and Erik. Hank was busy working on something for the group of them.

"P-Papillon?" Peter whimpered through his tears when Erik tried to comfort him.

"N-No, just me," Erik told him, gently drying his tears while Charles got him food. Peter shrunk from Charles, and Erik looked at him confused.

"Papillon said he wants to use me," Peter whispered darkly to Erik, who let him lean onto him. "And you."

"Who?"

"Papillon. Just now, in the cell..." Peter struggled to think, and then realized what he was saying. Luke had been lying to him. He was sure of it now. Then again, Luke had always lied to him. Peter just hadn't realized at first. "He toyed with me..."

"Abusers often do," Erik said simply. He cradled him close, an awkward hug. "Why do you call him papillon?"

"Because that's what... That's what  _they_ called him. Papillon. Because he's so social."

"They?"

"The mutants he was friends with," he whimpered softly. "They called him Papillon because he needs other mutants around. He was a social butterfly- _papillon_ means butterfly."

"Oh?" Erik looked up at Charles, mouthing at him to get into his mind. "Did they have a name for you?"

Charles entered Erik's head as Peter admitted his own nickname. Erik showed him a list of nicknames that he had found. Written in bold letters was 'Papillon.' Underneath it was-

"They called me Chanille. Because it means caterpillar and I was the Papillon's responsibility." Peter shuddered at the thought.

* * *

Peter started spending all of his time after that running. He was given a safe spot nearby to run at, with the condition that someone was always there when he ran. That way they could be there if he needed help.

He didn't mind. He just wore looser and looser clothes. Nobody was allowed to speak French in this space so they didn't use a word that made Peter panicky.

* * *

A month after the visit to the area that the Papillon was being held, Peter was asked to identify other mutants from his group. These included someone dubbed 'Loup' because of his fangs and ears, and someone called 'Clé,' for his ability to slip in and out of areas. Their 'charges' were identified soon after and given care. 'Chiot.' 'Fermer.'

His identification saved lives. Some members of the group had up to seven people claimed as their own. Each and every name in bold had at least one name underneath it.

Peter was no stranger to the nightmares they had, either. He would sit by them, people older and younger than he, and he'd tell them about the people at the school. He'd tell them that they were kind, that Hank had saved his life and that Charles was stubbornly accepting of people who are different than each other. 

He'd tell a man in his thirties that it was okay he had purple eyes and a black tail, because they looked really cool and the tail could be used to help get other things. With the same voice he'd tell a little girl that her big sister was a very strong woman, and their matching wings were very pretty, and that he envied their ability to fly.

* * *

 Peter still refused care after a month of that. He ate as much as he possibly could and then ran.

"Peter, you're going to burn out!" Charles warned one day.

"No, I'm not."

"Yes, you are. We're worried. You need to come to us for help."

"No. I'm fine."

When Charles tried to speak to him after that, Peter ran out. Nobody could stop it.

 He ran and he ran. Nobody knew where to. But he ran until he couldn't breathe, and he collapsed on the cold, hard ground, clutching his chest and his stomach as he cried out in pain. He curled in on himself and screamed.

Peter's mind was racing as he felt heat and cold run over him. He screamed out again as an extreme pain shot through his stomach.

He writhed and tried to shift away, but it didn't work. He sobbed and grabbed around for anything that might help. Fear pumped through him.

"No, no... Nonono, it's not... It's not time yet," he sobbed, shifting again. "I can't have... Can't be having a baby..." He shifted around more. He couldn't breathe. Why were his cheeks so wet? "H-Help!"

He winced at how weak his voice was. He couldn't cry out any louder than that. He tried to get up, only to collapse again. His body hurt. His head taunted him with Luke's words, with the things Luke had done to him. He closed his eyes and accepted his fate, to die here and not be saved.

"I should have listened... To all of them," he whispered to himself through his sobs. He choked on his words and curled in on himself, sobbing his eyes out and waiting for the end. 

As the waves of pain washed over him, tensing his bones and knotting his muscles, he tried to listen. He tried to hear if anyone was coming so he could scream and be heard. He shook with the effort it took to breathe. As he cried, he weakly shook his head, dizzy and afraid. He was lost in an unfamiliar area with a very premature baby on the way. And nobody knew he needed help.

But after only a few minutes, he felt himself being lifted from the ground. He winced and looked up. Logan was carrying him home.

"You got weak," Logan told him. "Didn't run too far."

Peter tried to answer but he cried out instead, curling around Logan as his abdomen spasmed and his entire body quaked. Logan looked at the way he was writhing and took him straight to Hank.

* * *

Peter woke up twelve hours later, with pitying looks from his friends. He tried to get up, only to have Hank, Logan, and Charles all push him back down.

"No, you'll aggravate your stitches," Hank warned, shaking his head and sitting next to him. "Why didn't you let anyone know?"

"Know what? That I'm pregnant?"

"That you were pregnant," he whispered softly. "I'm sorry. Your baby... Your baby died."

"What?" Peter looked horrified, and he started to tremble. "I... I can't... My baby..." He started to cry again, collapsing against the bed he was in.

* * *

Peter walked everywhere.

He didn't answer anyone when they asked him why. He didn't speak. It drained him. The only conversations he had were with Charles. People started leaving food around, little baggies of fruit or crackers or pretzels or candies, stuff you could eat without realizing. They were left where he was frequently, near his room or Hank's lab or Hank or Charles' classroom, and they were his main caloric intake. He'd sit and eat for a few minutes, slower than everyone else, and then he'd excuse himself to go to his room. Charles and Hank were the only people who he would try to communicate with. Erik was awkward with him, and everyone else was just... Meh. He couldn't bring himself to make conversation. Although it killed him to admit it, he didn't think he'd be able to for a while.

Every so often, he'd walk down to the lab and sleep there instead of his own room. He told Charles it was because it was more familiar there than in he room he'd been sleeping in at the school. Charles told him it was okay as long as Hank said it was okay. Hank set up a little area for Peter. Peter never acknowledged it other than a mouthed 'thank you.'

"I want to hate him as much as I hate myself," he told Charles. "He ruined me."

"You are not ruined, Peter. Merely damaged. But what has been done to you can be fixed."

"I wish you were right..." he sighed softly. "But I don't think that's true."

"You'll be okay. Just... Don't give up. We won't give up on you."

* * *

 One day, Kurt asked Peter if it was okay if they went out to eat- Logan, Hank, Erik, Scott, Kurt, Peter, and Charles. Peter managed to say, hoarsely, yes. Of course, he almost regretted it when he had to clean his stitches beforehand, but he decided a few months after that he did not regret it in the slightest.

As it turned out, Scott had found a mutant-friendly restaurant they could go to. There were a couple of rules to the place- try not to use your mutation in a way that hurts anyone and don't be flat out lazy if you're able to move things with your mind, stuff like that. Keep yourself under control if at all possible, and stay polite. Therefore, it was pretty easy to go there and not worry about spazzing out.

While there, Peter sat a little away from his friends, with two seats between him and Hank. Nobody commented on it. Peter kept getting more food, which Hank encouraged, and eventually he ran into a person, semi-literally. He bumped into a guy with a long tail and black scales at the buffet. He looked up, stammering an apology, and met the gaze of the most beautiful man he had ever seen.

He was pale-skinned, with the exception of the black scales that covered his tail and peppered his skin like freckles. His eyes were beautiful, a silvery blue with rings of gold around him. His hair was short but very fluffy and unkempt. He had highly polished silver claws and was wearing clothing that were a bit dressy. Namely, he was wearing a white shirt with a black jacket and dress slacks. He also wore a light pink tie. He wore black fur-lined boots and gloves. When he assured him there were no worries, and that everything was okay, Peter noticed that he had sharp looking fangs and a long, thin black tongue. Peter also found his voice almost musical.

"My fault for not watching where I was going! I'm Ben, what's your name?" the guy asked, holding out a hand to shake.

"My name is ga- Peter, my name is Peter," he stammered in response, holding his hand out. His heart pounded.

"Peter." Alex smiled at him. "That's a nice name."

"Th-Thanks," he stammered softly, forcing himself to speak and be polite. His skin brushed against Ben's, and the poor guy jerked back and fell to the floor. "Are you okay?!?"

After a moment, he looked up at him. "I am so sorry, I was trying not to intrude," Ben apologized frantically, standing back up shakily. "When I touch someone I don't know, I read their fears. It's not fully under my control yet, I haven't gotten that good, but I am so, so sorry."

Peter blinked, and then realized there were a couple tears in his eyes. It took him another moment to realize Hank was looking between them, and another to realize that Ben now knew he had been abused for the past two years of his life. He whimpered softly.

"Hey, it's okay," Ben said softly, offering a little reassurance. "Did you come here with anyone, can I get you to them?"

 Peter shook his head some, stepping away and going back to his table.

* * *

The mutant-friendly restaurant was not the only place Peter had run into Ben. One time, he was out in a sunny park, sitting on the swing set, and watching the world go by. Hank had told him the sunlight would be good for him. He felt like it was burning into him but he said nothing as the breeze brushed his hair into his face. He was getting ready to go home when he saw Ben again.

The other mutant was jogging, tail trailing behind him and helping keep his balance. He had headphones in and he was wearing a light green hoodie. His fluffy hair was waving in the wind, and he looked to be breathing heavily. Peter almost laughed when he slowed to a walk, but then realized he was taking a drink from an almost empty water bottle. Instead of laughing, he stared.  _Whoa, he's hot. I need to talk to him._

Peter got up and headed over to ask about his running route. He was careful not to touch him, but he managed to catch his attention.

"H-Hello," he stammered softly.

"Hey, Peter, right?" Ben asked, smiling happily at him.

"Y-Yeah," he stuttered out because  _holy shit that smile is gorgeous._ "And you're Ben."

"Yeah," he affirmed. "Fancy seeing you here, in the park. Do you run?"

"Used to, not allowed to anymore," he revealed unthinkingly.  _Shit now he knows I have nowhere to go._

"Oh, that's too bad. Any clue when you can run again?"

"Uh... About two months."

"Oh, cool! Maybe I'll run into you on a trail?"

"Not too likely... I'm a speedster. I run way too fast for that."

"Oh... Well that's neat." He smiled. "I knew a speedster in school, back before my tail got too long to hide. She had to eat, like, an entire box of Little Debbie snacks for snack time."

"Yeah... Metabolism is expensive to keep up with..."

"Maybe we could talk about it over dinner sometime?" Ben offered, blushing softly,

"Wh- Did you just ask me out?"

"I'm sorry if that was too quick, I just-"

"I mean... I do everything quickly... So... Where to?"

Ben offered a different mutant-friendly restaurant, and Peter accepted on the condition that they met there. They agreed on a day and time and then they parted ways.

* * *

Charles was a little worried when Peter mentioned that he had a date, but when he mentioned the mutation and the way he looked, Hank asked if the guy's name was Ben.

"It is... Why?"

"Knew him, he always seemed nice enough. Pretty choosey about partners, always polite to everyone, not possessive but definitely protective- ripped off someone's ear after finding out she tried to stab his brother. Respects people's limits, doesn't ask questions unless they need to be asked, and has never tried to 'win' someone back after they split. Overall I don't think you need to worry about him."

"Do you ever talk to him?"

"No, not really. He's a great guy and all, but we never became close friends. It surprises me that he likes you this quick."

 Peter nodded. "Thanks, Hank."

"No problem."

"If you're wrong," Logan warned Hank, "and he hurts the kid, I'm skewering the both of you."

"Why me?" Peter asked, heart quickening.

"I meant Hank and this Ben character."

"Oh... Okay..."

Charles shook his head. "I want to meet him, too."

"Why?" Peter asked.

"To see if he truly has good intentions," Charles said softly.

Peter nodded slightly. "Yeah... Good idea..."

* * *

At the restaurant, he found Ben waiting by the door for him.

"Hey," Ben greeted, offering a gloved hand.

"H-Hey," Peter answered, looking into those gorgeous blue and gold eyes. He took his hand and found himself arm in arm with the taller mutant.

Peter had been unceremoniously gifted with a silvery suit that matched his hair because of the dress code in the restaurant he'd been invited to, and he'd been made to leave most of his stuff behind. He wore a tie instead, a black one that served to contrast with the light blue shirt he wore underneath the suit jacket. He had a watch on as well, and Peter had felt ridiculous until he saw the way Ben looked over him.

Ben, in a much more expensive- _it looked to be four times the price his suit had cost whoever had bought it for him!-_ white suit with a red tie and a pink shirt. Ben, wearing pink gloves that disappeared under his jacket and the quartz and rose gold watch he'd worn. Ben looked over Peter like he was holy, a beautiful angel that he only ever got to see once a year.

"You are beautiful, I should have known I'd look horrible," Ben bemoaned softly, looking down a him.

"Wha- What do you mean? You're g-gorgeous!" Peter stammered out, nervous.

"Not nearly as gorgeous as you," he replied honestly.

Peter shook his head, blushing. Ben nodded, smiling at him.

"Just look at you! You have the most gorgeous silver hair- that is the coolest look ever! And you've smiled quite a bit. That smile that just lights up the room. And you obviously aren't afraid I'll step on you, and you're fit, and you have great taste in food. You're beautiful."

Peter blushed darker and looked down. He let himself be led into the restaurant and seated at the table before making his protest.

"I look like a frog, I sound like a frog, and my suit is a fraction of the price of yours."

"You look very gorgeous even though you're tired, and your voice is deep and soothing. As for the suit... Yours is beautiful on you! It's colored in a way that makes you look ethereal, like a snow god." He smiled happily. "And I'm sure that snow gods such as yourself need to eat, so you should order something to feast on."

Peter blushed, taking the opportunity to take a look at the menu. He saw a lot of food that looked delicious, but he gasped at the prices.

"Ben, this stuff is super pricy. I can't eat here!"

"What do you mean, you can't eat here? The food is worth its weight in gold, much like you," he said softly. "Don't even look at the prices. Just order what looks good, and however much you'd like. Send back what you don't like and eat what you do."

"I-I'm sorry, I can't... I can't eat this without paying you back somehow-"

"Pay me back with conversation, and by enjoying your meal, however big or small it is." Ben smiled at him. "That'll be enough to make me give you the whole world."

Peter looked up at him, seeing the way he was looking at him. Like Charles sometimes looked at Erik, or Scott looked at Jean. It made him feel special, and he tried to restrain himself- one food item per section- but the proportions were tiny. He chatted about school- "I turned eighteen last month, but I didn't celebrate because of... My last relationship."- and found himself ordering more than seven entrees.

At the end of the meal, Peter was still talking about the good in his life. He told Ben about his music. He laughed through chatter about his sisters and how easily they had always been his priority. Ben told him about his brother, who had made a habit of drowning fish until he got what he wanted, and ordered an entire cake for Peter. At the end of the evening, Ben walked outside with him and awaited Peter's ride home- which took the form of Logan in a black car- while talking about the trails they'd run.

It was chilly evening air, and though Peter normally had a high body temperature because of his metabolism, he shivered slightly. Ben had thought nothing of wrapping Peter in his own jacket, and he helped Peter into his car like a gentleman before going to his own ride.

Charles smiled softly when he checked on Peter that night, seeing him wrapped in the suit jacket and snoring into a pillow.

* * *

Five dates passed, and Peter proposed that he introduce Ben to his friends at the school. Ben easily accepted on the condition that Peter truly trusted him to meet them.

Ben spoke politely and easily with all of them, and when he noticed Erik's accent he spoke very fluently in German.

 "How do you..?" Erik asked, shocked.

"I was born in Germany, had a military mother. I was raised there for five years before coming here." Ben smiled, remembering. "My mother said I was a celebration."

"Were your parents..?"

"Mutants? No, but my grandmother could turn plants into similarly-sized animals."

"Ah." Erik looked a little off put by the way he'd said 'no'- as if fond of the family he had. "Could she?"

"With but a touch. She'd tell me to prune bushes into the animals I wanted and kiss their heads to bring them to life. She was very happy when we moved permanently to the States."

"Groovy. Is your mutation limited?"

"Everybody's mutation is limited, sir. I am limited to reading fears and having an epic way of balancing."

"Reading fears?" Charles asked.

"Skin to skin contact. It's why I wear gloves. I don't like intruding on people's minds."

"Ah. So, do you and Peter have much in common?"

"Well, for one thing, we both like food," he said, smiling fondly at the memory of Peter letting him feed him an entire cheesecake. "We both run, although I'm nowhere near as fast as him. And I went to see the Live Eight reunion of Pink Floyd."

Charles nodded, a little wary still. "You won't do anything to hurt him, right?"

"Why would I ever want to do that?" Ben's smile fell and he looked revolted at the thought. "Do you take me for a monster?"

"I take you for a man courting him. And the last man who courted him tried to hurt him," Charles said lowly, eyes darkening. "I'm not letting that happen again."

"Is there anything you can think of that would make you trust me? Because I'll do it. I don't want to make a rift between you and him, and I don't want you to think I'll hurt him."

"I'm not sure..."

"Search his mind, Charles," Erik offered. "Surely he wouldn't be opposed to it."

Charles looked at Erik like he had ten eyes- although that would be far from the strangest thing in the world.

"Oh, you're a telepath? Go ahead, I've got nothing to hide," Ben told Charles. He smiled softly and sat down to let him freely enter his mind.

Charles hesitated for a moment, but he did. He searched every memory he had, everything in the brightest areas and in the darkest. The guy had been raised practically by his father and maternal grandmother, because his mom had done a lot of military service. When he'd moved to the states, he'd made friends easily and never once judged anyone for anything. He'd trick or treated every year as a different superhero, including Captain America and Batman, and he had helped kids around him reach things they couldn't. He enjoyed running, and was only ever outdone by speedsters. He was raised rich and he bred snakes for a living until he became a doctor, and he still bred them on the side. He also had lizards and turtles. He had only ever hurt people who attacked him or those around him, and he had sat by many an abused man or woman or child to comfort them in the past. He also helped to break rifts between people and was fluent in twelve languages. Charles came out of his head and looked up at them.

"I need a dentist. This guy is the definition of rainbows and kittens. He bred  _geckos_ to get his doctorate."

"Did you really?" Peter asked, looking a him.

Ben blushed. "Yeah, I did... I don't like mooching off my parents, y'know? So I just borrowed money from them to buy a bunch of geckos and bred them to sell. Paid my debt to my parents and then started saving up."

Peter smiled at him. "That's... Kinda cool."

"You think?"

Charles smiled softly. "You're okay to date my boy, Ben."

"I'm NOT your boy, Charles," Peter blushed, reaching for Ben's hand.

* * *

Peter and Ben shared their first kiss during a visit to Charles' biology class. Ben had agreed to bring in some of his snakes to help them with classification and learning a little more about them.

"And this is my seven dollar ghost, she's infertile so I don't breed her. She was a gift from a friend, and her name is Sif." He pulled the snake from around his neck and put his other one back in the box. "She's really sweet and she likes being held."

"Prove it," called someone.

"Okay." Ben walked over to Peter and held her out.

Peter slowly reached for the snake, which allowed herself to be transferred from her dragon-like owner's hands. Sif wrapped herself around Peter's arm and flicked her tongue out to smell the air. Peter tensed for a moment, but Ben gently shifted his other arm to hold her carefully and closer to his body. After he relaxed, Sif did too, and started moving around on him. The rest of the students watched, fascinated, as she grew comfortable enough to crawl up his neck.

"She feels weird, Ben!" Peter shrieked. "Get her off me!"

Ben gently pulled Sif off of him, and after a moment of looking at him, Peter reached up and pulled him down for a kiss.

"Stupid snake boy," he muttered against his lips, "with your stupid snake and stupid smile." He pulled back with a smirk, and Ben was speechless.

"Uh... Yeah... Um, Peter, I..." Ben spluttered helplessly, turning back toward the rest of the class with the snake. "Uh, who wants to... Wants to hold her next?"

"Kisses not included," Peter warned them.

* * *

They went out jogging together when they'd been dating for a few months. Peter, at least, was jogging. Ben was running. However, Peter seemed to be able to hold a conversation with him anyway.

"So. Come here often?" Peter joked, watching Ben refill his water bottle at a fountain in a cross-section.

"Yep. I own the place." He grinned at him, looking over Peter.

Peter had his goggles on his head, and he was laughing at the joke. The trails they were running on weren't exactly public- you had to pay to run there. It wasn't that much, but to someone who needed so much food as Peter, twenty bucks month or thirty bucks a pop isn't exactly easy to come by. Ben had paid it up front for him easily, saying there was a trail he wanted to show Peter. The younger mutant had shown up wearing a blue jogging suit, because one of the students who ran there had told him that she would personally beat his ass if he fell off one of the bridges because he got caught on a branch. He was wearing a decent pair of running shoes, and he felt stupid standing next to ben.

Ben was wearing tailored black shorts and the green jacket he had been wearing when Peter had agreed to go on a date with him. He had the most expensive running shoes on the market, and he had a belt with his water bottle on it. Ben was easily better-postured than Peter and he also had better running wear, which made Peter feel stupid. When he had greeted him, however, Ben had bent down and kissed him softly, so kindly that Peter wondered how he could have ever considered  _any_ of Luke's kisses to be tender before Ben swept him out of his mind and into a hug. The hug made him feel safe and warm and fuzzy.

"I can't believe I got an angel to run with me," he had whispered, gently caressing his cheek and feeling like he'd swoon from Peter's wide, smiling brown eyes. "This is the most amazing thing in the world."

Peter blushed, looking down and smiling like a fat kid in a candy store. He let himself be led down a trail.

They picked up speed quickly, with Peter jogging slightly slower than Ben ran. They made their way through a very bright path. Ben led him through a wildly overgrown forest with an orchard of fruits, taking him over an old land bridge. Eventually, they stopped at a spot near a waterfall. There was a picnic set up, and Ben offered him a seat.

"Did you... Did you bring me all the way out here to eat?"

"Yep. And enjoy my favorite spot to think at." Ben smiled at him. He'd long since grown comfortable enough around Peter to be able to control his fear reading, so Peter had gotten used to hand holding with him. Peter sat down and looked at the basket.

"How long has that been here?"

"Does it matter? About ten minutes, I think."

Peter smiled brightly, leaning in to kiss him gently. Ben kissed back, gently wrapping an arm around him. Peter pushed his hands around him and deepened the kiss, inviting Ben to take him over. Ben gripped him tightly and pushed his tongue into Peter's mouth, taking his time to explore the heat. The silver-haired speedster moaned softly into the reptilian empath's mouth, gripping at the back of his jacket tightly and pulling himself on top of his boyfriend's lap.

They slowly ran their hands over each other's bodies, enjoying the pace of the make out session. They weren't being slow or fast. They weren't in any hurry to do anything. They were simply enjoying each other's company. They were just an normal, happy, healthy couple, making out before a picnic.

They broke away for air after an intense bout of Peter gripping at Ben's hair and Ben holding Peter closer on his lap. Peter leaned his forehead on Ben's, smiling softly. The pale-skinned couple were both highly flushed and panting heavily. Peter took in a few deep breaths before pulling Ben close for another round.

* * *

Peter moaned into Ben's mouth, shifting his hips down and positively impaling himself on Ben's cock. His fingers dug into Ben's shoulders as the elder thrust up evenly, arms wrapped gently around him. In all of the things that Ben had experienced, sex wasn't one of them. He was holding onto Peter and kissing him deeply. Peter knew that this feeling wasn't sex. It was lovemaking.

Ben gently wrapped his tail around Peter's length, stroking him to help him fill with ecstasy. At the same time, he moved to suck lightly at Peter's neck, leaving dark bruises that looked gorgeous on him. Peter moaned at the feeling, shifting in response to the easy way that Ben explored his body. They had been dating two wonderful years, after which Peter had allowed Ben to put the only thing he wore now on him- a silver ring with a dark-colored diamond set in amber. The inside of the gorgeous customized engagement ring held the words 'Mien Libelle.' _My Dragonfly._ Peter moaned again as the nickname was whispered among the litany of praises and love confessions against his neck, and he felt himself fall over the edge. He tightened his grip on Ben's shoulders and cursed, collapsing into his arms.

* * *

A few weeks after their first anniversary, Ben was comforting Peter as he threw up the contents of his stomach for the third time in a row. They were waiting to see what it was in Hank's lab.

Peter read the results when he got them and looked up at Ben, eyes full of wonder.

"I'm pregnant, Ben."

**Author's Note:**

> I'm obsessed with the name Alex, IDK why. So I had to change a character's name. I chose Ben. Not sure if because my friend has a dog named Ben or because my friend is obsessed with Ben Shapiro, but one of those two reasons.


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